It was slightly drizzling.

Freya and Barry walked side by side on the patchy and the rough ground beneath them. Barry was better than before, at least he looked better. He was able to walk but with pauses after every fifteen minutes. His was being unusually out of breath and even in this cold night, where he could hear Freya’s teeth chattering every once in a while, he would feel sweat rolling down his back.

The nighttime in Island was breathtakingly beautiful. Even though it was the type of coldness that reaches into the bones, as if the heart were a door left wide open to the icy wind, slamming only to open again. The sky’s rolling blanket of cloud the color of wet ash, and the ground its dank reflection. With each step, Barry’s energy was going way low and Freya was aware of it even though he wasn’t saying anything. But she had noticed how he would wince while taking a deep breath or close his eyes every once a while to calm his nerves.

Barry and Freya knew only thing to do is keep moving, keep heading towards the dwarfs – Banshees – as they call themselves. . . .

Banshees were the oldest thing known to the Island. Who are they, where they came from, how much power do they have, were all the questions Freya didn’t know about but she was thankful for the tribe to save her that day...

“Break...please.” Barry’s panting voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

They both sat a few feet away, with their backs to separate trees. Barry gulped down the water he filled from the waterfall. He asked if Freya was thirsty and she shook her head. It was then they both drowned in silence. Barry drifted away in the thoughts of his home back in California while Freya’s mind kept reminding her about the awful night.

It was after quite long she was going to see the Banshees. Was she ready for the flashbacks? She wasn’t sure but she had to get it over with.

She closed her eyes, letting the oldest memories of her on the Island wash over her.

It was unbelievably hot that day. She hadn’t seen Island that hot till now.

“What happened?”

Barry snapped her out of her thoughts again. She opened her eyes to look at him, looking at her with a concerned look on his face,

“Nothing.” She replied.

“Okay then why are you crying?”

Freya’s eyes widen as she realizes she has been crying... She didn’t know when but tears started rolling her down face, making it all the face to her jaw before dropping on the ground.

“Freya? What happened?”

He sounds concern, she thought, should I tell him?

It’s not like it was a huge secret anyway. It was just a bargain, a deal.

“Remember I told you I've ‘met’ the banshees before?” She asked, turning towards him and he nodded as he dragged his body near her, too.

“I didn’t exactly ‘meet’ them. They saved my life,” his eyes grew wide but he kept quiet, “I don’t exactly remember what happened but...”

Flashback of a nine year old, sweaty and scared for her life Freya running through the jungle crossed her mind. She could almost feel how out of breath she was, how her legs were begging for her to stop but she continued running – she was running for her life, she couldn’t stop.

“i told myself, ‘i mustn't stop,’ but god, my legs were aching, my head was aching, my heart was aching and I was so out of breath. It felt as though my heart will explode,” she looked down at her feet, “i don’t remember what I was running from but I know I was running for my life as I ducked the huge branches, dodged the mushrooms and fell over a couple of times but I didn’t stop.”

She could feel the lack of breath through her body, that feeling of tiredness and lethargy, similar to how she felt that day. For as her lungs were working to bring in the much-needed oxygen, even then she felt as if she’s drowning in the air.

“My legs gave up without a warning and I fell on the ground, bruising my ankle. But my adrenaline was so rushed, I couldn’t feel the pain from my ankle. I was out of breath and my vision was blurry but God that lack of breath was akin to drowning. I was in the air and drowning. There was no option to swim up,”

Barry listened to her, silently.

“I had to hide from the thing that was following me. I saw a tree to my right. It was huge – possible the largest tree in the entire Island. I couldn’t stand so I started dragging my body and hid behind the tree. While I hid there, trying to calm my breath, I noticed my leg was turning green and it had something ticking out of it. I was only nine,” Barry’s heart sank when he saw the faintest smile on her lips, “I sucked that thing out,” she took in a sharp breath, the smile disappearing from her face, “It was a mistletoe.”

Pain was plastered on her face. It was weird to see her so sad, so...helpless.

“I remember my throat closing in as I gasped for air. I didn’t know what to do. I tried standing on my feet, as though that would make things better. My vision got blurry as hot tears rushed down my face and I collapsed,”

Barry’s heart sank for her. His hand and found Freya’s. He placed her hand on top of hers. She didn’t seem to notice.

“Then I woke up. I was in a hut made of stones. I vividly remember it because I hadn’t seen any other houses in the Island, let alone a hut made up of stones,” she let out a little laugh but it quickly disappeared, “Saint Doodle was there. He told me I had mistletoe running in my veins and he knows the cure. But Banshees don’t give anything without taking. They make deals; of life, of health, of love, and of memories,” She closed her eyes like it pained to even remember all this, “He made me a deal – a deal for my memories in return for a healthy life,”

“Did you agree?” Barry asked,

She turned to Barry with her eyes full of tears, “What other option did I have?” she looked away, “I gave away my memories. Leaving the few hours of the day where I got poisoned, he took away every memory,”

Freya was crying now. Tears rushed down her face one after another without stopping and Barry held her hand tightly,

“I don’t remember who I am, I don’t remember how I got here, I don’t remember what I was running from or what happened that night. I’m nothing but a walking dead – the Island’s orphan.”

“Hey, it’s alright, come here,” Barry took her into his arms. It was devastating what happened to her, and he wasn’t exactly an expert in helping girls from crying but if one thing he was, it was empathetic. He hugged her, “Can you take the memories back from them and offer them something else?” He asked,

“i don’t have anything valuable to offer, Barry.” She sniffed, her head resting on Barry’s chest.

“You don’t remember anything?”

She shook her head, “I remember that night was terrible. I remember the thoughts running through my mind. I kept telling myself, ‘It is a terrible night, give it away.’ the nine-year-old Freya thought she should get rid of any memories related to that night but I want to know, what was it? What happened that night? What was I running from? Who am I?”

“Hey, look at me,” Barry said, and looked into her eyes, “You are Freya, alright? You are the most fearless and badass woman I've seen!” Freya sniffs and smiles, “Hell, I bet you can kick my ass right now!”

Freya smiled a little more and shook her head, “The Banshees help but they are clever. They feed on memories, health, life and everything. They will take something from you to cure you. I don’t have anything to offer them that’s why I stole a branch of the Oak tree so I didn’t have to meet them ever again.”

Barry nodded, “We’ll figure something out. Don't worry.”

Both of them fell into silence, bracing themselves to face the only people who can save their lives and take away everything from them; the Banshees.